~ ⦽ ~
The Best Laid Plans
The Cleavermaw raced over the towers and domes of Iscarion, already being
pursued by city guard patrol boats. So much for "flying casual"!
As the ship approached High Tower the crew frantically took-in sails and the
helmsman threw her into a hard turn. Something fell off the stern.
The orruk pirates in the forecastle hurled their grappling hooks a little too
early and the ropes instantly snapped taught, swung the Cleavermaw hard around
the tower and brought the ship to a sudden and abrupt stop. Half the crew were
sent tumbling across the deck.
Mr Sludga and the Baron leapt across the dizzying gap onto the stone balcony
just before Kaptain Mogrum had gathered the Waaagh! energy needed to blast the
doors open, so when the green lightning bolt arced into the timbers they were
forced to dive for cover as splinters of wood the size of their arm exploded
outward.
The two hulking orrks stumbled to their feet and turned toward their boarding
party who were still aboard the ship, looking confused and worried. The Baron
laughed and shouted at them to follow or they would miss the fun!
The boarding party shrugged and jumped. Most of them made it across the
narrowing gap between ship and tower but one or two missed their footing and
plummeted down, hundreds of feet to the street far below.
The Baron charged into the prison tower and started kicking open doors as the
first guards arrived. The boarders fell upon them with dark glee.
They fought their way down spiral stairs until they located the cell of
Illyana Draketooth, to their surprise they found her conscious and healthy. It
took the lives of three orruk boarders for Mr Sludga to convince her they were
a rescue party.
She was still sceptical but followed the orruks back up to the shattered
balcony but to their shock and horror the Cleavermaw was nowhere to be seen!
(The patrol ships had got too close and Mogrum had ordered the grapple lines
cut and sails unfurled then cast Breath of Gorkamorka to speed the ship away.)
Draketooth was ready to slaughter the Baron and the pirates but the Cleavermaw
reappeared around a distant building, with a trio of fast guard boats tight on
her tail. Mogrum had the crew hang heavy nets over the gunwales - Draketooth
and the boarding party leapt for them as the ship raced by, close to the
tower.
Mogrum cast Breath of Gorkamorka again and the Cleavermaw careered away into the clouds
with several planks, one of the nets and a sail tumbling down behind in her
wake.
+++
Draketooth raged at Mogrum on the quarterdeck as the ship rocked in a gentle
wind, anchored in the lee of a small metalith island. She was not happy with
his plan in the slightest and was damned sure none of her surviving fleet would be
either.
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